Strawberry Panic : The Amazing Race
by Zodiax
Summary: 9 Teams, A race around the world, A million dollars. A strawberry panic rendition of The Amazing Race.
1. Introduction

**The Amazing Race: Strawberry Panic Version**

**Introduction**

Hey all (: I know En Avant a Paris isn't finished yet. But I think this is just too fun to wait . It's basically the amazing race, but the Strawberry Panic, All Female version. It'll be told through a viewer's opinion, complete with snarky commentary and biasness :D . And it's mostly AU and their relationships are made up ( but they are made up using the characterization from the anime/manga and they will all still have their individual traits, just some of their relationships with each other are different.)

For people who haven't watched the Amazing Race, just go to youtube and type The Amazing Race in. It's a bit hard to understand by just reading, so it's best if you watch it. So here's just a brief run through and the glossary. ( This is taken from Wikipedia and I take no credit for the descriptions.)

The race still starts in Japan however, but will still have Phil Keoghan as the host. The race starts out with only 9 couples ( I'm sorry I couldn't bear to add random people in . I apologize greatly TAR fans ) and they all know English.

* * *

**Brief Introduction**

The amazing race ( TAR ) is basically a giant race around the world. Teams made up of two contestants in a pre-existing relationship battle against each other for the prize of one million dollars.

In every leg, they receive, find or earn their clues by completing challenges. The challenges are both physical and mental, with both team members working equally to solve them. The teams are required to complete the challenge or willingly drop out, to receive their next clue.

The teams are also required to arrange their own transport ( if not given in the clue ) to each destination, with a credit card to buy travel tickets and some money for basic necessities. Some forms of transport include Taxi, Rental Cars, Buses, trains etc.

At the end of each leg, the last team left in the competition is eliminated and the first team that arrives at the final destination gets a prize. There are also two non-elimination legs in every race, in which the last team is not eliminated, but is faced with the consequence for coming last.

* * *

**Glossary**

**Route Info** - Route Info clues instruct the teams where to go next. The clue usually only provides the name of the team's next destination; it is up to the teams to figure out how to get there. However, the clue may make specifications about how the teams have to travel. For example, the very first clue of the race specifies which flights teams may take. In addition, teams may be required to take public transportation, drive a marked car or other vehicle, or walk, according to the clue's instructions. The Route Info clues can instruct teams to go to several types of locations, including a specific location in another city or country, another location within the team's present city, the Pit Stop of the leg, or the Finish Line of the race.

**Detour** – A Detour presents the team with a decision between two tasks, both having its pros and cons. Teams are given several details about both tasks, but may need to travel a short distance by foot or car to the different task locations. One task is typically less physically demanding but is tedious or requires some amount of time or thinking to complete, while the other is usually a more physically demanding or frightening option that, depending on the team's ability, may take less time to complete. The decision on which task to attempt lies solely with the team. A team may choose to switch tasks as many times as they wish with no penalty other than the time lost in attempting the tasks and traveling between task locations. Because of this freedom to choose between tasks, the penalty for not completing _either_ task is significant

**Roadblock** – A Roadblock is a task that only one team member may perform. Before heading into a Roadblock, teams read a vague clue about the task to come, e.g., "_Who's really hungry_?" (for an exotic food-eating challenge), or "_Who wants to get down and dirty_?" (for a very muddy task). Often, a team may figure out the specific task by observing their surroundings, using common sense, or even seeing other teams already performing the Roadblock task. Based only on the vague clue and any observations of their surroundings and/or other teams, they must decide which team member would be best suited to complete it before reading the rest of the task description. Once a choice has been made, the teammates cannot switch roles. Unless the clue indicates otherwise, the other teammate(s) cannot assist in the task though they may verbally offer advice and encouragement, usually standing in a designated area off to the side. The participating team members from other teams are able to help each other, however, unless otherwise indicated by the clue. There is a roadblock in every leg of the race and teams must divide roadblocks equally amongst each other.

**Fast Forward** - The Fast Forward allows the team that receives it to skip all remaining tasks on that leg of the race and proceed directly to the Pit Stop. To receive the Fast Forward, the team must be the first team to perform and complete the task described on the Fast Forward clue. If the team completes the fast forward but is not the first team to do so, they will have to go back and pick up where they left off. clue is found along with a regular clue at one of the Route Markers.

**Yield** - The Yield allows any one team to force another team to stop racing for a predetermined amount of time. When was going to be a Yield, the teams would find the message "Caution, Yield Ahead" in their clue. To cause an opponent to yield, a team places the picture of the team they wish to yield onto the Yield sign (found near one of the Route Markers). When the yielded team arrives at the Yield mat, they must turn over an hourglass found on the Yield sign and wait for all the sand to drain before they can continue racing. It is suggested that this generally takes around 30 minutes. Each team gets an envelope with their 'courtesy of' sticker at the start of the race (which goes on the bottom-right corner of the Yield sign), and if a team's envelope goes missing, that team loses all power of using any future Yields. Each team is required to stop at the Yield station, and state aloud whether or not they were yielded by another team, and (if the Yield wasn't already played) whether or not they choose to yield any of the teams behind them. each team may use only one Yield during the game, and only one team may use each Yield. However, a team may be yielded multiple times by various other teams. There are two yields in the entire race.

**U-Turn** – Similar concept to the Yield, but teams would have to turn back and complete the other detour they did not chose to do ( thus completing two detours instead of just one ) before continuing on with the race. There are two U-Turns in the race.

**Pit Stop** – The final destination of each leg and where the Check-in Mat is located. The Check-in mat is the official finishing line for the legs of the race. Teams learn then of their positions and if they are the last team, they will be eliminated. The non-eliminated teams then stay at the pit stop for a mandatory rest period until the start of the next leg. Teams also depart for the next leg of the race from here at the time they arrived plus twelve hours. While a team arriving at 12:00 p.m. will depart at 12:00 a.m.

**Non Elimination Legs** – There are two non-elimination legs in each competition. In those legs, teams that come last are still permitted to continue racing, but are strapped of their money and belongings, leaving them with only their passports, travel documents and the clothes they had on themselves during arrival to the pit stop for the remainder of the race. Contestants usually begged during the pit stop rest period to beg from locals or other teams.

**Route-Markers** – Boxes containing the clues. It reassures the teams that they have the correct destination.

Those are the basics of the race, but head on to Wikipedia for the rules and regulations. Now, the exciting part :D The couples.

* * *

**The Teams**

**Shizuma and Nagisa Aoi-Hanazono  
Married Botanists**

Caretakers of several award winning green houses, the flower loving couple met under unexpected circumstances and have gone through numerous obstacles in their quest for a relationship. They hope their strong bond with each other as well as their combined knowledge will help them win the race.

Shizuma is a world renowned field botanist. Her expeditions take her around the world, searching for new flowers to study. She has a species of flower named after her_, Rosa Shizumia, _otherwise known as the Silver Rose.

Nagisa is the owner of three award-winning greenhouses which are very popular tourist destinations during spring. She is a specialist in flower care and is known to be able to flower any withering or dying plant once again.

**Shion Tomori and Chikaru Minamoto  
Recently Dating**

Shion and Chikaru have just started dating and have entered TAR to strengthen their relationship. The two fell in love in College, having already met in high school, but only started to pursue a relationship when they met at Fashion week in Paris. They hope their knowledge of modern culture would give them an advantage during the race.

Shion is a model, working for a low-key modelling company. She has appeared in a few magazines and a few runway shows, her most exclusive show being a model for an upcoming designer at Paris fashion week.

Chikaru is a fashion designer specialising in Haute Couture. She used an assistant to one of the prominent fashion companies in the industry and now owns an independent company. She is gifted in the arts and is also known to be a good actress.

**Yaya Nanto and Tsubomi Okuwaka  
Almost Lovers**

Relatively new to relationships, the pair are still contemplating on whether they should pursue an intimate relationship with each other. They plan to use the race as an ultimate test of their personalities and see if they do truly match as lovers. They plan to use their wits to get them through the race.

Tsubomi and Yaya are both critics. They both work for the same magazine, with Yaya critiquing the music scene and Tsubomi critiquing various restaurants and food hideouts. They enjoy being outspoken and are heavily involved with gay and lesbian programmes for teenagers and also work as part time counsellors. In their spare time, they both enjoy singing in the choir and enjoy karaoke parties.

**Amane and Hikari Konohana-Ootori  
Life Partners**

Amane and Hikari have been dating for several years and are currently joined in union. They are in the competition to get out of the country more as well as to get the money to build themselves a new house, complete with stables and a horse-riding ring. They trust their strong bond with each other will pull them through in the race.

Amane was once a champion horse rider and now a coach to future equestrian riders. She has represented her country in the olympics, winning a gold medal as well as several championship titles, making her one of the most sought after coaches in the equestrian circle.

Hikari is a newly debut singer. Described to have the voice of an angel, she is slowly but steadily rising to fame in the music industry as a ballad artist with tremendous amounts of potential. She is also a notable lesbian icon along with Amane.

**Tamao Suzumi and Miyuki Rokujou  
Step Sisters**

Tamao and Miyuki have only been sisters for six months. Since meeting each other, they've been supportive of one another and their families, hoping that the money they win would go to the well-being of their parents. They hope to win using tactics as well as good communication

Tamao is a journalist working for a Japanese magazine. She enjoys reading fine literature, poetry and scripts. She has excelled as a script-writer, writing her own rendition of Carmen for her high school play, which is now being produced as a high budget theatrical piece.

Miyuki is a counsellor in one of the worst high schools in Japan. Her extreme tolerance has led her to great achievements and has worked greatly to her advantage . She finds the greatest satisfaction in making students considered to be useless into people who benefit society.

**Remon Natsume and Kizuna Hyuga  
Colleagues**

Remon and Kizuna are two detectives working for the Japanese police. They are also qualified private eyes, having spied for numerous women and their cheating husbands. They are known to use methods such as dowsing to help them search for clues. They hope their observant natures would pull them through during tough times in the race.

The girls are the second youngest team to compete, but their sheer energy and intelligence make up for it. Working as a tag team, Kizuna supplies the information by sneaking around while Remon pieces the information together. Working together since young, they both know each other's attributes and are known to sort differences out using unusual methods. They plan to use the money from the race to go on a well deserved holiday.

**Kaname Kenjou and Momomi Kiyashiki  
Dating Correctional Officers**

Kaname and Momomi met as two security guards in one of Japan's high security prisons. Being just friends with benefits at first, they eventually grew fond of each other and then moved on to an actual relationship. They entered the race to make certain of their love for each other, hoping that their competitiveness would help them win the money.

Kaname is known to use her dominating and aggressive attitude to the her advantage. She has no tolerance of immaturity or stupid jokes, making her one of the most intimidating contestants in the race. She enjoys tennis and watches it in her spare time.

Momomi's personality compared to Kaname is much calmer and mellower, but has the same level of competitiveness as her partner. She supports Kaname fully and will not hesitate to help her. She enjoys drinking milk tea.

**Chiyo Tsukidate and Kagome Byakudan  
Best Friends**

Met a few years ago in high school, they are the youngest couple in the race but are a force to be reckoned with. Their motivation for entering the race is to help support each other's growing careers. They hope that they would be treated fairly and are not worried about the older teams competing in the race.

Chiyo is the owner of a cleaning company. She enjoys household chores and clean houses. Although clumsy and timid at times, she wishes that people would not underestimate her abilities and treat her like an adult.

A champion long distance runner, tiny yet incredibly fit Kagome has represented her country in numerous marathons and is currently training for the next Olympics. Her peers did not know about her incredible talent, until the " first in line " club was forged in high school. She carries around her teddy bear, Percival for good luck.

**Chihaya Takemura and Noriko Mizushima  
Childhood Friends**

Having known each other since Kindergarten, Chihaya and Mizushima share a strong bond with each other, having known to only fight once a year and plan to use this to their advantage during the race. They currently share a flat together and hope that the money they win would help to refurbish their living space.

Chihaya is a choux pastry chef working at a bakery in the city of Japan. She knows how to make seven different types of cream puffs and is the inventor of the inside out puff, where the custard is on the outside of the puff instead of the inside. She enjoys looking for new recipes and trying them out on Mizushima.

Mizushima is an archery coach with her own archery club. Winning a few titles in her teenage years, she found satisfaction in teaching young people how to shoot a few years ago and formed her own club. She does not like her first name and enjoys eating Chihaya's creations.

* * *

Rightio, The next chapter would be out soon! I'm sorry if it comes out late . I blame christmas *coughcoughtoobusywithguitarherocoughcough*

Anyway, Reviews appreciated! :D


	2. USA to Canada

First Leg of The Amazing Race! I had heaps of fun writing this (: This is my first time writing something like this so yeah xD. I've never been to any of the destinations listed above, so I'm just infering roads and stuff using general knowledge and pictures on Google. Thanks for reading and review :D

Disclaimer: I don't own Strawberry Panic or The Amazing Race or any other company mentioned in this Fanfic.

* * *

**The Amazing Race**  
Episode One: I've seen you shovel snow faster than this!

Ah yes, another very exciting season of the amazing race. The producers at CBS is certainly on a roll. An all female version! I hope there isn't an all male version ( sausage fest anyone?) Okay so we see swooping shots of the united states and it seems we are in New York City. We see the statue of liberty, the Brooklyn bridge and other scenic sights. The camera then moves to a garden-like area and zooms in on a very sexy Phil Keoghan. He introduces the race in his usual, manly fashion.

" This is New York City, the capital of the USA. In this modern, vibrant city, nine female teams will embark on a race around the world, for a prize of one million dollars. The teams are currently travelling in yellow taxis to this season's starting point, The Central Park of New York."

Ooh the excitement! The camera swoops to a shot of the teams riding in the yellow transportation devices. Phil introduces the contestants, saying their names then cutting to each team's voxpop.

The first team we see is Nagisa and Shizuma, who are married botanists from Tokyo, Japan. They certainly do have exotic hair. Red and silver? Valentine's day colours if you ask me. " Shizuma and I, we've been through hell together. It took us an incredible effort to make us work." says the cute redhead. "We won't let anything get in the way of our relationship. " Damn, Shizuma has beautiful assets. Almost as large as Jessica Alba's. We see Shizuma holding a silver rose and Nagisa tending to a plant in a glasshouse in the introductory montage. Team Valentine doesn't look like pushovers, fer sure.

The next team, Yaya and Tsubomi are " almost lovers". Phil says they're from Hokkaido, Japan and are figuring out whether they should actually get together by using the race as a "test" of sorts. " We're a very adventurous duo. We will try anything and do everything for the money." Says Yaya. Tsubomi's mentioning something about having tried Squid Ink and Octopus ice cream, which is ever so lovingly shown on the montage. Hokkaido sounds like a divine place… it's fish-flavoured ice cream and all. I'll keep an eye on these two.

We then cut to a shot of Chikaru and Shion, a recently dating couple from Honshu, Japan. I must say, there isn't a lack of pretty girls ( or lesbians ) in this season. I like.. I like very very much. They look like a pair of fashionistas, with their pristinely white matching outfits. " We're a strategic bunch. Chikaru looks like a harmless angel and I'm blond, but we've got smarts." Says Shion. We see a shot of Shion on a runway and Chikaru in a costume shop. We'll see what happens to the pair's outfits after 5 legs, considering the race ain't exactly what you call clean.

Ah, we see a couple wearing baggy track bottoms. Smart choice. It's Tamao and Miyuki, step sisters from Fukuoka. They look like two peas in a pod, with their matching track suits and blue hair. We see a shot of them sipping tea at a patisserie, looking very sophisticated indeed. They even have their pinkies lifted! That's a really nice teapot though… I must say, they don't seem like the type of people who would willingly bungee jump into a deep river for a clue. " We're doing this for our parents. We hope they don't get offended by foul language." Selfless, polite children… We'll see how this combination goes.

Yikes. We then cut to a shot of two… evil looking people. We learn that their names are Kaname and Momomi, dating correctional officers from Yokohama. Momomi doesn't look as scary, but she has that… bad girl image about her. They show us the pair riding on a pimped out Harley Davidson, looking like two mean lesbian bikers. " We're very competitive." " Yeah. We can take a lot of*beep* from other people." Gasp. The first two swear words of the season! I predict many more expletives from this team. Kaname's eyes are really quite intimidating. I pity the teams who decide to mess with them.

Bishounen alert! Bishounen alert! Amane and Hikari are life partners from Osaka, Japan. Amane is seen riding a white horse and Hikari is presumably singing in the montage. It's like a Disney fairytale! " We want to take our relationship to the next step." Says Hikari, who is noticeably shorter than her girlfriend. " With the money we hopefully will win, we want to build a brand new house for ourselves and Amane's horses." There might be a animal riding task this season, since the past few seasons had the teams riding on camels and elephants. They sound hopeful and seems like a nice couple to watch.

The next team we see is Kagome and Chiyo. They are best friends from Kyoto and the paedophilic lesbian in me is sniggering loudly, although I know they are probably over 18. Kagome's a marathon runner and Chiyo's a cleaner. It's rather mismatched but they seem to be happily jogging in the montage. " We're small, but please don't underestimate us." I have a feeling that might happen. They look too young to be racing and I'm sure the other teams would feel that way as well. But I am NOT prejudiced against cute girls and that teddy bear ( whose appropriately named Percival) on top of Kagome's back pack is reason enough to watch them.

Absolutely no lack of cute girls either. Here's another pair that makes the paedophilic side of me jump for joy, mini-Sherlock Holmes-es Kizuna and Remon from Tokyo. " I think we're a force to be reckoned with." Says Remon, pushing up her round little glasses that makes her look like a smaller version of harry potter. Aww! They have cute little Sherlock Holmes checkered coats in their montage. " We spy on cheating husbands…. need I say more?" Says Kizuna. This team looks quite promising.

Our last team is the chef and archer duo, Chihaya and Mizushima. " Mizushima is definitely the more athletic one." Says Chihaya, which without doubt fits the bill of a pastry chef. I can just imagine her in her white top hat and striped apron. " We live on redbull and Chihaya's pastries." Team Redbull. I like it. They look like a decent bunch. " We've been friends since forever. Our bond is going to pull us through. I'm sure of it." These two are tight. It'll be interesting to see how they work together.

With first impressions done, the camera shows the taxis arriving at the statue of liberty and we see the teams walk in two straight lines past the overhead camera.

" These teams will be travelling together across nearly 30 thousand miles to various parts of the world. Which teams will have the right combination of strength, intelligence and teamwork? Which teams will crumble under the pressure? Will their respective relationships will be able to handle the challenges they are faced with? All these questions will be answered as we prepare to begin, the first all female series of The Amazing Race."

The familiar " dun dun dun dun dun dun dun dun" of the Amazing race theme song plays as we see the teams displayed on the opening titles. Once the song ends, we see all the teams set up in a semi-circular format in front of Phil in a large grassy area. He welcomes the teams to the US, tells them that in a few moments they will embark on a race around the world, tells them that at the end of every leg there will be a pitstop and there are two non elimination legs in the race. He also tells them that their first clue is in an envelope on top of their luggage they brought with them and that once they read their clue, they are to hop into one of the SUVs parked in front of them and drive to their first destination. The teams look at him expectantly as he raises his hands.

" Travel safe."

With those last words and a loud " GO!" he drops his hands and the teams rush by him to their individual backpacks. Rrrrip Rip Rip. We see a close up of Amane and Hikari, Chihaya and Mizushima and Yaya and Tsubomi ripping open the clue. They are told to drive to the Airport and fly to their first destination, Toronto, Canada and find a store called the " Dancing Days". Damn, no location or anything. CBS isn't being easy. Although, I expected a much more... international destination from them. We then see Team Fairytale ( Amane and Hikari ), Team Valentine ( Shizuma and Nagisa ), Team Hokkaido ( Yaya and Tsubomi ) rush into their cars. There's a close up on Kagome as we see her drive off first. The white letters at the bottom of the TV says that they are in first place. Team Valentine are hot on their heels as we see Nagisa opening the map included in the clue.

" We're in this baby." She says to Shizuma, smiling with excitement. They travel along a stretch of road, immediately faced with two way intersection. They make a hasty decision to follow Team Percival and turn left. Team Harley ( Kaname and Momomi ) is in third place and turn right instead. Team Hokkaido, Team Fashionista ( Chikaru and Shion ), Team Redbull ( Mizushima and Chihaya) , Team Sherlock ( Kizuna and Remon), Team Fairytale and Team Teapot ( Miyuki and Tamao ) all turn right respectively. This does not sound good for Team Harley. The camera zooms in on the road race happening on a highway, with three cars neck and neck with each other for first place.

" Yaya! Drive faster! I've seen you shovel snow faster than this!" Said Tsubomi as she gripped onto the car seat. " Sorry! I've never driven on this side of the road before!" Replied Yaya, who was clearly having a bit of difficulty merging traffic.

We cut back to Team Harley, who seemed to have made a giant round around the park. Kaname's clearly frustrated, but Momomi looks surprisingly calm as she gives her girlfriend correct directions. " Well, it's your fault for saying they're wrong and we're right." Says Momomi simply, shutting Kaname up.

We go back to the three way car race and we still see Team Percival leading the pack, but Team Valentine, Team Sherlock and Team Fashionista are now in a three way tie for second place.

" Turn right here Shion." Chikaru instructed as Shion quickly turned out of the freeway. " We'll use another way. I've seen the New York City traffic on Discovery Travel and Adventure . It's best we avoid the big roads." Placing all her trust in Chikaru, Shion is seen nodding. Chikaru watches Discovery Travel and Adventure. Definitely a good thing in a race around the world.

We cut to Team Teapot, where Miyuki is driving and Tamao studying at the map. We see another SUV in front of them and the camera cuts to Team Fairytale's. " Amane, there's a team behind us." Says Hikari. We see Amane nod in response and change lanes. We then go to an overhead shot of Team Redbull's car driving out of the highway.

Back to Team Harley. They seem to have caught up a bit, travelling on the same highway we've seen the other teams in. We then cut to Team Valentine, who had the same idea as Team Fashionista and have turned out of the highway. Team Percival is still travelling on the highway, but Chiyo notices a big LCD overhead, with the words " Delays expected ". Kagome catches on and turns out of the highway. By this time, we see Team Fashionista in first place, Team Valentine in Second, Team Percival in third, Team Redbull in fourth, Team Hokkaido in fifth, Team Sherlock in sixth, Team Fairytale in seventh, Team Teapot in eighth and Team Harley in last place. A car chase in the first thirty minutes. Good stuff good stuff.

After the break, we see Team Fashionista pull up into the departure terminal at Airport. They run out of the vehicle with their clue and backpacks to the nearest information counter. We see Team Valentine pull up and do the same and they run into Team Fashionista. We see Chikaru smile at Team Valentine and tell them that they are the first team in the airport. They make small talk while Shion milks information from the counter attendant. We see Shion thank the attendant and turn to Chikaru.

" Chikaru. We have to go to the American Airlines counter. That flight leaves at 11.45, arriving in Toronto at 1.32 pm and there's only a few seats left. We'll have to run." Wow, Shion invites Team Valentine to follow them… that's surprise. " Chikaru says they seem nice. I trust her judgement." She says in an interview. They run to the check-in counter and snag their tickets. I see the initial stages of an alliance forming. Very interesting.

We then see Team Percival's car pull up, followed surprisingly by Team Teapot, Team Sherlock and Team Redbull. A white subtitle flashes on the television with the mumbled voice of Tamao. " Thank god for strange overhead orange LCD signs and speeding."

The camera cuts to the rest of the teams, stuck in slow traffic. Team Hokkaido catches onto the situation and turns out of the highway, leaving Team Fairytale baffled. " Follow them Amane." instructs Hikari, while looking at the map. Amane obliges and follows Team Hokkaido. A close up shot of a very angry Kaname is seen. " Turn out of the highway Kaname!" Momomi says with a raised voice. " No! It's obvious that the highway is always faster! Look! There's no one behind us! "Because we're last you *beep*!" Ah bickering. The beginnings of a great race.

Back at the airport, we see Team Percival at the American Airlines counter for a few seconds, then take off. Aye, No sign of Teapot and Redbull? Ah… we see them at the Air Canada counter. Going by common sense. Toronto, Canada equals Air Canada. The two teams purchase their tickets on flight that leaves at 1.25 pm and arrives at 3.10 pm which is almost two hours after the American Airlines flight. I wonder why they didn't ask if there was an earlier flight. That could potentially cost them the race in subsequent legs.

We move back to the airport entrance, where we see Team Hokkaido and Fairytale dismount their vehicles. They still have time to get onto the Air Canada flight, with the usual dramatic music and close-up shots of their hopeful faces at the airline counter. Both teams make it and purchase tickets. Oh my, we see Team Harley running into the airport. We see who's wears the pants in their relationship as Momomi pulls Kaname to the counter. They barely make it onto the Air Canada flight, getting the last two seats on the plane.

The camera then cuts to Team Fashionista, Valentine and Percival boarding American Airline and the rest of the teams on Air Canada. A shot of planes taking off is shown and The famous amazing race map appears on the screen with the blue and red race lines travel along it. There's a shot of Phil Keoghan in front of a clothing store, walking ever so slowly, basking in his glory. " The teams are now on their respective flights here to Canada. One flight arrives two hours earlier than the other, carrying three teams. Here, they will have to travel by Taxi to find this famous vintage clothing store where they will receive their next clue."

We cut straight to the Toronto Airport where we see Team Fashionista run out and jump straight into a taxi and drive off. Team Valentine and Percival are hot on their heels, getting into their own taxis. "We have to get to this place… where there's a shop called the Dancing Days? Do you know where it is sir?" Asks Nagisa while Shizuma looks through the map. The taxi driver nods and tells them that it's at Kensington Market and that his wife used to go there to purchase walking boots. Team Percival isn't doing too well as their taxi driver pulls up and makes a few calls asking where the store is, wasting precious time.

In the Air Canada flight, Hokkaido gets a bit of luck and realise they're sitting beside someone with a laptop. They ask if they could borrow it and the nice businessman agrees. They kill two birds with one stone and find the location of the store, as well as book a taxi for themselves. Team Teapot also finds a bit of luck and are seen chatting with a local. " It's at Kensington Market. You can't miss it. Full o' little vintage trinkets." The wavy haired brunette says to Miyuki, who is seen thanking her profusely. We then see the teams arrive at the airport, with Team Harley and Fairytale rushing out to the nearest internet terminal while the rest of the teams heading into Taxis. " We've got connections here in Canada. One of our clients had a cheating husband here." Remon says smiling sweetly in an interview. Team Redbull seems calm as they too get into a taxi. " Mizushima asked the stewardess in the plane." says Chihaya simply.

Team Valentine is the first to arrive at the Dancing Days, followed by Team Fashionista. They find the clue box and get their clue. The screen shows a detour card. " A detour is a choice between two tasks, each with their own pros and cons and they require the teamwork of both team members to complete. In this detour, they have to choose between Lace Up or Walk Up. In Lace Up, teams will have to travel to The Bata Shoe Museum and look through the hundreds of shoes for five matching tokens matching the colour given in the clue card. In Walk Up, teams will have to travel to The Canadian Walk of Fame and complete a crossword puzzle contained in the clue using the names of people who are on the 13 Block walk. Lace Up requires a keen eye and is tedious while Walk Up requires more physical effort." The two teams pick Lace Up and hop back into their taxis. " We don't know any Canadian superstars… and we'd really rather look at shoes." Chikaru says. I fully agree.

We then see another three teams pull up one by one. Team Redbull and Team Hokkaido both reach the clue box and they rip open their clue with vigour. They both opt for Walk Up and run back to their taxis. Team Sherlock and Teapot rush to the clue box at the same time, ripping their clues open then heading opposite directions in their taxis. Teapot went the way Valentine and Fashionista went so I predict they're doing the shoe task while Sherlock is doing the walk of fame alongside Hokkaido. Another team is seen reaching the clue box and it's Team Percival. They've fallen behind quite a bit so they'll have to make quick work of the detour. They go for Walk Up, considering Kagome is a marathon runner. We see the last two teams in their taxis, with Team Fairytale slightly ahead in another road race.

" We're lucky that the other team didn't have spare change for the computer. We know we were falling behind and we had to step our game up." Amane says in a solo interview. She certainly does look like a prince, but I'm not into tomboys. We see them pull up in front of the clue box and head towards the Shoe Museum. Team Harley arrives shortly afterwards and they head in the direction of the Walk of Fame.

Team Valentine and Fashionista arrive at the museum almost at the same time. They quickly rush into the museum to find the tokens. Shizuma finds the picture card in the envelope and tells Nagisa the clue requires them to find green tokens. They make a plan to split up and search each floor. The camera keeps tabs in Team Valentine as they look into the different shoes. They find one soon and show it to the camera oh-so-obviously. Damn, those tokens are bloody tiny, it's like finding a needle in a haystack.

" Blue blue blue! Chikaru let's go!" Screams Shion as she holds up the blue picture card. As the first two teams frantically search around for their respective tokens, Team Teapot is seen starting on the task, holding up a yellow picture card. At the Walk of Fame, Team Percival is clearly dominating, finishing about…. I think 80% of the crossword already? " It's all thanks to Kagome. She wrote down all the names on each street and we just started to fill in the boxes." Chiyo says in her voxpop. We see Team Redbull run down the streets in an Amazing Race-like fashion, their backpacks wobbling on their backs and all. But what's surprising, is that we see Team Sherlock already ripping the clue envelope open!

It's a route info clue and Phil Keoghan's sexy face shows up once again on the telly. He's standing behind the famous TAR mat and there's a spectacular view of a waterfall in the background " Teams now must travel by public transport to get to downtown Toronto, where they will take a shuttle bus to this season's first pit stop, The American Falls at Niagara."

By this time, we see Team Valentine and Team Fashionista finish and read the same clue. " Wait, we'll ask for directions to the shuttle bus or something. We'll just need to milk information from the counter ladies." Shizuma concludes and leads the way to the counter. We catch a glimpse of Team Fairytale on their task, Hikari showing an orange picture card to the camera. Team Teapot also seems to be struggling a bit, Miyuki wearing a rather unladylike scowl on her face as she looks into shoe after shoe. "I can't find the stupid tokens. Why do they have to be so small?!"

Back at the walk of fame, we see the rest of the teams, including Team Harley finish their tasks and rip open their clues. Unfortunately for them, they don't have an information counter nearby. Oh this is bad… Team Harley's Kaname's getting brushed off repeatedly as she tries to ask for directions. Giving up, they follow Team Redbull and Team Hokkaido onto a bus rather indiscreetly, receiving suspicious looks from the other two teams. They get out of the bus at the drivers instruction and we see the shuttle bus already leaving with Team Percival, Valentine and Fashionista. The camera bleeps out a few swear words from Team Hokkaido's Yaya as she states the obvious. " Every other team will catch up!" Ah Yaya, you'll have to get used to event called bunching ( where teams in front have to wait for certain events eg. Flight times which diminishes the lead of a team) , which is utterly boring and disheartening. " Shh. We can't do anything. We'll just have to run when we get there. We only have to wait for another twenty minutes. I'll go get us something to drink." replies Tsubomi as she gives Yaya a kiss. That's a good girlfriend. Completely unlike my ex.

We then cut back to Team Sherlock briefly, who are currently in first place and are riding comfortably in the shuttle. " We knew we would rock at the walk of fame task. It's from all that nonsense we watch when we're not spying on husbands. Kizuna knew half the names on that crossword!" Remon says, grinning in the interview. We see the shuttle stop at a rather nature-ish place. Smart girls they are, we see the subtitles at the bottom of the screen as they ask the shuttle driver for directions, then get off the bus with a brochure in hand.

Team Fairytale and Teapot finally finish their task. After ripping open their clues, the two teams head off in opposite directions, which is bizarre. If I'm not wrong, Team Fairytale isn't going the right way… But who knows. Back at the bus station, the second group of teams board the bus.

5.43 pm at the Check-in Mat, we see a very cheerful Team Sherlock run toward Phil and screech to a halt in front of him. " Welcome to Canada." says a scruffy, stocky aged man beside Phil. " Kizuna and Remon, you are team number one. Congratulations." They let out an adorable little squeal as Phil tells them of their ten thousand dollar award.

Out in the distance, we again see a team running towards Phil. It's… It's.. Team Percival! They are team number two, arriving at 6.26 pm. Behind them are Team Valentine and Team Fashionista who run to the mat together, arriving at 6.34 pm in third/fourth place. We then see a cute shot of both couples kissing and a high five exchange between them before walking out of focus. Them two are my favourite couples so far, I'll be looking forward to seeing more of them.

We cut to the bus station, where Team Teapot is waiting for the shuttle bus. There is no sign of Team Fairytale… oh dear.

" Come on. We can make it!" Encouraged Mizushima as the furious foot race to the mat unfolds. There won't be much leeway to when the teams depart tomorrow but it's not the time they leave that gets imprinted on Wikipedia's position list. Team Harley reaches the mat in fifth place, arriving at 7.12 pm. " We knew we'd catch up. We'll do anything to win. Even if it means pissing the *beep* outta the other teams. " Kaname is a feisty character. Team Redbull steps on the mat at 7.19 pm at the mat and they are the sixth team to arrive. Our third to last team, Team Hokkaido rushes onto the mat, a mere 2 minutes after team number six at 7.21 pm. They let out an accomplished sigh and walk off the mat, arms around each other's shoulders. We see a beautiful multi-coloured light show as the camera swoops above the yellow mat and gives us a look of the crashing waterfall. We see a myriad of colours displayed on the surface of the white water and it looks pretty cool.

We then see Team Teapot running to the mat, their hair swaying elegantly in the wind. Phil tells them that they are the seventh team to arrive at 7.56 pm and their facial expression turn into one of great relief. " We always thought we were last. That stupid shoe challenge almost cost us." says Miyuki in her individual voxpop.

Our last team, Team Fairytale approach the mat with disappointed looks on their faces. " Amane and Hikari, you are the last team to arrive. I'm sorry but you are eliminated from The Amazing Race." We see the pair exchange endearing looks and then give each other a hug. " We've tried our best. We got lost so many times." It's always sad to see a team go in the first leg but I guess it's how CBS gets it's ratings.

So there ends the first leg. I'm a bit disappointed with the destination chosen for this leg. They should've sent them somewhere more international. But I'm excited to see what else they have in store for them. I've got my favourites and I predict much much more drama happening soon when the Yields and U-Turns are introduced. Well… that's it for Episode one. Tune in again for Episode two!

* * *

Thank you for reading once again! The next chapter will be out after the new year xD


End file.
